Once Upon a Mattress

Event Details

Ticket Info:
Tickets are $15 for adults; $10 for seniors (65+); free for students K-12 and those with a valid Augie ID. www.augietickets.com

The Augustana Performing and Visual Arts will present the musical comedy “Once Upon a Mattress,” at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 19- Nov. 22 in the Edith Mortenson Center Theatre. A matinée performance will also be held at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 23.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors (65+), and are free for students K-12 and those with a valid Augie ID. Tickets can be purchased online at www.augietickets.com or by calling the Box Office at 605.274.5320.

“Once Upon a Mattress” is a two-act musical comedy written as an adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, “The Princess and the Pea.” Set in a fictitious medieval kingdom, the devious Queen Aggravain has begun to rule after her husband, King Sextimus the Silent, was stricken mute by a curse. Queen Aggravain declares that no one may marry until her son, Prince Dauntless, marries, but she sabotages every princess in an attempt to keep her son to herself. Meanwhile, Sir Harry and Lady Larken find out they will soon be parents, so in an attempt to complete a wedding before the child arrives, the couple seeks a princess for Prince Dauntless. They return with Princess Winnifred (also known as “Fred). The queen again tries to sabotage this new suitor, but with the help of Sir Harry, the King and the Jester, she won’t be leaving so easily.

The musical was first performed at the Phoenix Theatre in May 1959 but moved to Broadway later that year. Since then, it has been adapted for T.V. three times and was given a Broadway revival in 1996.